In Pictures: Famous Teachers who contributed a lot to Education

Schools are one of the first places where kid's behavior and future educational success are shaped. The reason why the first years of school are so critical is because kids learn the base of their educational life.

A teacher carries a big responsibility in his/her classroom. One reason is that all students depend on her/him. Everything the teacher says will have an impact on the students. Whether the teacher is joyful or angry, it will be spread among children because the attitudes of the teacher gets contagious.

Indian Education has a very strong base for teachers. They have contributed a lot in the field of education. Below slides have few details on some of the famous teachers of India.

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

The man whose birthday is celebrated as Teachers' Day in India. Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, is the first Vice President and the second President of the country. Firstly, he was a teacher.Coming from an extremely humble background, Dr. Radhakrishnan began his teaching career at the Madras Presidency College.Eventually, he became a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Mysore, represented the University of Calcutta at international congresses in the UK and the US and even lectured at Oxford on Comparative Religion.

Guru Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore's legacy in the form of Santiniketan is perhaps the most lasting.At a time when rote learning and classroom teaching was hailed, Tagore took teaching out of the confines of the four walls and formed a school, which he hoped would be 'the connecting thread' between India and the world. Fortunately, a world centre for the study of humanity somewhere beyond the limits of the nation and geography came up. Teaching at this school was often done under trees.

Savitribai Phule

Teaching, especially in India, is arguably a woman-dominated profession. She is the first female teacher of the first women's school in India and it wasn't an easy job.So when Savitribai Phule who along with her husband started a school for girls in 1948, it was a cause for outrage in the bramhin-dominated city of Pune. And by the end of the year, the Phules had opened five more schools for girls. Savitribai Phule was later honoured by the British government for her contributions to education.

Nissim Ezekiel

Poet Nissim Ezekiel, who helped the Indian English writing break away from its colonial shackles, was also a teacher. Ezekiel's poems that helped Indian English find its voice has also inspired an entire generation of poets.Nissim Ezekiel mentored several of these young poets and also taught hundreds of wide-eyed students of English literature in Mumbai from 1947 to as late as the 1990s.

Dr Manmohan Singh

Long before he became the 'leader that other leaders love', Dr Manmohan Singh was a teacher. He has held various teaching positions in the Panjab University, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi and the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Pt Sawai Gandharva

Rambhau Kundgolkar, better known by his stage name of Sawai Gandharva, was the teacher of some of the greatest singers of the Hindustani classical music including Pt Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hangal among others.

Ustad Alla Rakha Khan

The greatest exponent of the tabla, Ustad Alla Rakha Khan, was also a beloved teacher to many, many students. Known as Abbaji to his disciples, Khan like most of his contemporaries ran away from home to learn the musical instrument of his choice.Eventually he would become the first artist to play a tabla solo at the All India Radio, making everyone sit up and acknowledge the importance of the instrument that is usually an accompaniment to string instruments or vocals.

RK Narayan

The man who gave us some of the most endearing stories of Swami and Malgudi was once a teacher, who thought for a very short time. RK Narayan, who failed a year and took four years to complete his BA was never really taken in by the idea of having a full-time job. So using some contact, he got the author a teaching position at a school Chennapatna near Mysore.

CK Prahalad

Best known for his concepts of Core Competency and Bottom of Pyramid, Prahalad held the prestigious post of Distinguished University Professor at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business in the University of Michigan. During his lifetime Prahalad was recognised as one of the most influential thinkers of those times.